Luhan ran his slender finger through a thin layer of dust on the counter. Laughing a bit to himself, he shook his head and wiped it off on his jeans.

This place collects more dust than business.

Not that he really minded though. It was quiet and peaceful here, and suited him just fine.

Lil Wormies’ Bookstore was a hole-in-the-wall place, nestled in the back of a plaza and fit snugly between an antique store and a coffee shop. The district had preserved this part of the downtown area, deeming it "historical" and "a valuable asset to the community". In reality, everything was practically falling apart. Luhan couldn't deny it: the place needed some serious fixing up.

    It was something about the worn-in feeling Lil Wormies’ had that drew him in, though. The creaky floorboards, the ornate rugs spread on the floor worn down to their last threads. The assortment of armchairs in different colors, sizes, and textures, thrifted from various places and dispersed about the store. Paintings hung on the walls covering peeling paint, and large windows let glassy sunflight fill the room with warmth. It smelt of old books and hazelnut coffee.

    Luhan started working there about 6 months ago, and it became a home away from home. His dorm felt cold and bare, his roommate almost never around. Granted, he was a quiet guy in the first  place, but simply didn't belong enclosed in the white brick walls. It wasn't cozy. The bookstore was warm and the people who frequented it were friendly. The kindly old man who owned the store was like a father to him, and for the first time since he had left for university, Luhan had felt at home.

    He hauled a box of books out from the back room and plopped it on the desk. They were all pre-owned, worn around the edges and some with yellowing pages. Luhan began to sort the books, putting small price labels on each of them and then weaving between bookcases to find them their proper place. He was nimble, he'd done it many many times before, and happily hummed while navigating the labyrinth of rustic bookcases. The small bell above the door chimed.

     "Hello?" chirped a small voice from the entryway.

    Luhan peeped around the corner to get a look at the source of the sound. A guy with round cheeks and messy hair was standing on the doormat, shuffling a bit and sinking into his hoodie.

    "Hi! Can I help you?" Luhan asked, placing the book he was holding onto the shelf and walking over to the shorter male.

    "I’m just going to look around for a bit, if that’s okay. I was slightly worried no one was in here.” It was the beginning of October, and the cold autumn air had followed the boy in, sending shivers down Luhan’s spine.

“Let me know if you need anything.” he softly responded, before turning back to his work.

It wasn’t long before he caught himself stealing glances at the customer though. He had a backpack that looked larger than himself, probably a college student. Luhan wondered if they went to the same university. It wouldn’t be strange, the campus was huge. He settled back behind the desk up front and opened his music theory textbook. Luhan knew he really shouldn’t do this at work, but for he had to do it some time and now was as good as ever.

A good two hours passed, and Luhan ran a hand through his dusty brown hair. He stood up and stretched, his joints creaking out in displeasure. He never heard the customer earlier leave, but he figured he just didn't hear him leave while he was immersed in- oh.

A small figure was curled up in a turquoise corduroy arm chair, a fortress of books built around it. The person was shivering, and Luhan cautiously approached. Peering over, he saw it was the customer from earlier. He frowned and gently pulled a book off of one of the towers he seemingly had created. It was a black book with intimidating letters spelling: ‘Verdi: A Biography’.

A music major? Luhan thought, gently setting the book back down as to not disturb the other.

Gosh, he looks exhausted. Luhan ran his hand through his hair again, contemplating his options. He had to close up shop in roughly an hour, and he didn’t know if the other guy had somewhere to be. Letting out a slight exhale, he went to the back room to grab something warm. Draping a knit blanket over the little bundle of man and setting a cup of tea next to him, he really hoped he didn’t have somewhere to be.

The bell above the door chimed, and an older couple wandered into the store. Luhan sweetly waved at them, and then gestured at the sleeping boy, pressing a finger to his lips. They laughed a little, and nodded at Luhan.

“Hey. Hey, I’m so sorry but you have to wake up now.” Luhan gently shook his shoulder, and the guy groggily blinked up at him. He smiled at him apologetically, halfway blaming himself for having to wake the poor guy up.

“Oh- oh gosh. I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry oh gosh you didn’t want me sleeping in your store did you? When did I- how long was I out for?” He stuttered a little, looking genuinely distressed that he might’ve been a burden on someone’s day. Luhan handed him the tea he had made for him earlier and his tiny hand happily grasped the paper cup. Adorable.

“A few hours.” Luhan said, nervously musing his hair again. “You looked exhausted and I didn’t want to wake you, but I have to close up now and-” he trailed off, his bony fingers sliding out of his hair to rest on his neck.

“I understand completely- oh!! All these books!!! You have to put them away, don’t you?? I’m so sorry, I’ll put them back you don’t have to worry! I was just trying to-” Luhan shook his head slightly. “No, no, It’s fine. I’m sure you have somewhere to be and I get paid for this anyways, right?”

“Ah, if you say so. Thank you, thank you so much.” the other one said, grabbing his backpack and heading towards the door as quickly as he could. He turned around and awkwardly bowed a few times before rushing out the door.

Luhan stared down at the pile of books in his own self-pity. He’d better tell Kris he was gonna be late.